Iran's oil stored on water hits a record high, Kpler says

By Enes Tunagur

LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Iran has a record amount of oil on the water, equivalent to around 50 days of output, as China has bought less because of sanctions and Tehran seeks to protect its supplies from the risk of U.S. strikes, shipping data intelligence firm Kpler said.

The amount of Iranian crude and condensate, either on tankers in transit or in floating storage vessels, reached a record high of 166 million barrels in the week ended January 11, according to shipping data provider Kpler, which has data dating back to 2016.

As Iran, one of the biggest producers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, faces the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of possible military action.

Iran increased the amount of oil stored at sea to delay production halts, as Chinese imports slowed in late 2025 because China’s refiners lacked crude import quotas and inventories in China are very high, Homayoun Falakshahi, analyst at Kpler, told Reuters.

Iran is also seeking to send as many barrels as it can away from the Gulf to reduce the geopolitical risks for these volumes, Falakshahi added. About half of the Iranian oil on water is near Singapore, according to Kpler.